This invention relates to the installation of coaxial cable in the ground or otherwise in a cable network system.
More particularly, this invention relates to connector adaptors utilizable in the field to test such installation. It is necessary at stages during the installation process, especially at the end of the process, to perform quality control tests and confirm the integrity of the system that has been installed. To check that the signals are properly passing through the cable, installers use a test connector to press onto the end of the coaxial cable being installed. These test connectors are designed to pass the signal from a device through the cable and confirm that the installation caused no damage to the cable.
One of the most widely used types of test connectors is called a push-on test connector. In a push-on test connector assembly, the connector is merely pushed onto the square cut end of a coaxial cable. Positive pressure devices maintain electrical continuity at points of contact between the outer conductor of the cable undergoing tests and that of the test connector assembly and between the inner conductor of the cable and that of the test connector assembly. One type of push-on test connector is referred to as a "pogo" test connector. A pogo test connector has a resilient spring contact probe that is adapted at the center conductor of the push-on connector assembly and provides positive contact between the center conductor of the cable and the center conductor of the push-on test connector assembly. The pogo type test connector is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,857. The pogo type test connector is easy and convenient to use on the square cut end of coaxial cable. All that is required is different size test connectors to test different diameter coaxial cable products.
Once a cable has been installed, a conventional cable connector is secured to the end of the cable. Cable connectors are typically uniform so that standard components may be used in the installation of a system. One of the standard attributes of a cable connector is a pin extending from the middle of the connector that carries the signals from the center conductor of the coaxial cable. The pin extends from the connector a standard length depending on the size and manufacturer of the cable connector. Once the cable connector is mounted on the cable, then a push-on test connector such as the pogo test connector cannot be used to test the cable. In order to test the cable with the field connector, the pin must be trimmed and an adaptor installed or the connector removed and the cable prepared for a push on test connector. The above action will destroy the connector for installation or cause excessive installation time repairing the cable and reinstalling the field connector.